


Scintilla

by maigo



Series: By Candlelight [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Older Man/Younger Woman, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Pre-Mandalorian Series, Protective Din Djarin, Soft Din Djarin, Touch-Starved Din Djarin, and of course din picks it up because of how much it pays, without even realizing that it's just a rescue mission, your parents use a bounty contract to rescue you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maigo/pseuds/maigo
Summary: scintilla (n).: a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.As his fingers glide slowly through her hair as her head rests in his lap, she could feel a soft, bubbling feeling buzzing just under her skin. Although it's the tiniest sliver of a feeling, it's one that she hasn't felt for a very long time, and it scares her.Because as a bounty hunter, he's bound to leave her behind at some point.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Series: By Candlelight [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119713
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	1. Saved

**Author's Note:**

> I deleted my last Mando fic because my idea for it fizzled out and morphed into this one that has a solid vision for what I want for it going forth. So in the words of the great DJ Khaled, anotha one.
> 
> Updated 1/8/21: Minor edits so it's easier to read.

The metal of the pirates' ship was chilling to the bone, causing consistent shivers to rack her body. The deep cold of space seeps through the walls and into the hull where she's cuffed to a bar above her head. Her arms have gone from buzzing with the slow loss of circulation to just numbness not that long ago, and the cold makes it worse. Her clothing does nothing to help her predicament since she only dressed for a warm day on Naboo in her family's shop, not for the isolation of space. She wonders if her family knows where she is, who has taken her, if her stepfather and mother are scrambling to try and find her. She doesn't remember much of being kidnapped, only that she fought back and was quickly subdued, the swell of her eye and the pulse of her split lip serving as a reminder. She can feel large bruises starting to form on her body, specifically around her ribs where they probably kicked her when she went down. There’s a sizeable gash on her forehead that has stopped oozing blood into her good eye a while ago.

Her eyes stay closed as she hopes for sleep to find her eventually, but the hours pass by and that hope is starting to flicker out. She can hear the pirates talking in the cockpit above her, probably arguing over what to do now that they have her. It doesn’t take much to consider the thought that they’ll either keep her for their own amusement or sell her off to someone else for a high price. Her skin crawls at the thought of someone touching her like that, the disgusting look of animalistic greed in their eyes. Her stomach tries to churn but it growls pitifully instead. It’s hard to tell how long it’s been but considering how hungry she is, she’s most likely been gone for around a full cycle already.

A hard thud comes from the room above her, breaking her attention from her empty stomach.

“For kriff’s sake, Mek! We wouldn’t be in this mess if we had just gone with my plan and taken the fucking wife!”

“How was I supposed to know she’s not his biological daughter, huh? All these fucking humans look the same.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if he responds to the ransom. If not, we can just sell her off ourselves. I’m sure we can catch a high price for someone as enchanting as her.”

Her skin crawls. _They would have gone after Mom? She wouldn’t be able to last a day with them._

One of her eyes crack open slightly as she hears someone walking above her towards the ladder, watching as they come down. She drags both of her legs up to her chest in a vain attempt to make herself as small as possible in the corner of the ship, hoping that the Weequay is down here for something else. He turns around the locks his eyes on to her, shattering that hope. She starts to shake as he walks closer to her, slow and deliberate steps made to intimidate, which are working. He crouches in front of her before taking in her current state, and chuckles lowly.

“My oh my, granted, we fucked up in grabbing the one who may not guarantee money from him, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there who would pay good money for someone like you,” he says, his hand reaching out and twisting lock of hair around his fingers before bringing it up to his face to smell in. He inhales deeply, eyes nearly rolling back into his head. “Mmm yes, or perhaps I’ll even keep you for myself.”

Her heart is pounding in her ears as her breath comes out in short, quiet pants. Fear grips her body, unable to move or say a word in response. He laughs before standing up again, towering over her.

“Now I don’t think I should have to tell you to behave, as you have been doing so well so far. It won’t be long until we arrive, just sit tight.” He turns around and heads back towards the ladder, going back up.

Slowly, her body begins to relax once more and with it, so does her tears. Heaving sobs shake her body as she finally realizes the gravity of her situation. She may never see her siblings or her parents again, no, she _won’t_ ever see them again. There’s no possible way that she will be rescued now.

Her fate is sealed.

~

A short hour later, the ship finally jumps out of hyperspace and lands on some backwater planet in the Outer Rim. The pirate from earlier unlocks her binders from the bar but her hands remain bound in front of her as he drags her behind him. Other Weequay pirates meander outside of their abodes, watching as she’s taken to what she assumes is the holding cells for other quarries. She’s thrown into a dusty cell as the energy field flares up behind her. The pirates laugh before slowly filing out to do whatever else they need to, leaving her alone in the room.

The planet is hot, much hotter than Naboo, the humidity already making sweat start to condense on her skin. She’s able to push herself up and into the corner of her cell away from the doorway. Bright light filters through the front facing windows, baking the ground around her. The smell of the cell room is horrid, no doubt the other cells haven’t been cleaned out in dozens of cycles, if ever. At least it’s not cold, she doesn’t know if she could handle the bitter cold of a frozen planet.

The metal door slides open and a Palliduvan woman walks into the room holding a metal tray with what looks like food, but she can’t really tell from her position on the ground.

“I brought food,” she says.

A slot opens up on the ground and the woman sets the tray on the ground, sliding it into the cell. The young woman pauses for a second, waiting to see what the older one does. She sighs.

“You’re going to want to eat it, there’s no knowing when the next time you’ll get fed here.”

She crouches down and sits on the floor, crossing her legs. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours,” she shoots back.

A small smirk raises on the other woman’s face.

“Dina. Where are you from?”

“I’m from Naboo,” the woman answers slowly. She doesn’t know what this woman’s goal is and she’s going to remain cautious. “Where am I?”

“The pirates’ home,” she answers, shifting to lean against the stone wall behind her.

She’s making it hard to read her as she keeps her face void of emotion. It’s almost eerie how calm she looks. She glances over her, stopping on the thin silver band on her ankle, and then the blaster clipped to her belt. Could she be a slave too? Why isn’t she accompanied by anyone? Why does she have a blaster if she’s a slave? She looks too calm and nonchalant to be comfortable here as a slave. Her near-white skin is flawless and free of blemishes that would typically accompany the life of a slave. Either she’s a well-off slave, or she’s only charading as one to gain her trust.

“Why are you doing this? I know that you were only told to feed me so why are you here asking me all of these questions?” The woman’s face falls back to her blank state and her lips pull into a tight line.

A few second pass between the two before the Palliduvan woman speaks again.

“Because I was you once, taken from my home and brought here to serve the pirates. I just wanted to try and ease your situation,” she answers.

The woman scoffs.

“ _Situation?_ I have been kidnapped and taken from my home, from my family. Neither my family nor I have ever done something to warrant for this to happen,” she stands up, stalking towards the front. “And you know what is going to happen to me. I am never going to see my family again and I am going to be sold off to some old, disgusting bastard who pays the highest bid. You’re only doing this to help ease your own conscience.” She’s right up near the energy barrier, the tip of her nose millimeters from touching it. She glares down at the woman, her body shaking with malice.

How dare this woman come in here to act like a friend when she knows damn well what is going to happen to her soon.

The Palliduvan’s gaze hardens and she stands up, now towering over her.

“I am only doing this because I’ve seen too many girls come through here. And although I admire your spirit, the men will have fun breaking you,” she spits before walking towards the door.

The metal slides open and a man in silver and rust red armor stands in the doorway.

“What the fu—”

The man suddenly pushes her back into the cell room and straight into the wall next to the cell. He’s able to land a series of swift punches before she throws him off and goes to grab for her blaster. In a flurry of movement, he’s already disarmed her and jams her blaster into the crook of her neck. She falls limp to the ground.

The air is still as he shifts his gaze from the collapsed woman to the one who stands in the cell. Her breath catches as she stares into the obsidian t-visor.

“Time to leave.”

She jumps in surprise, unprepared for him to speak. His voice is shrouded by the vocoder, but she can hear the steady timbre of it. His chrome helmet clashes with his red, battle worn armor and the brown of his cowl. He shoots at the panel next to her cell and the energy barrier dissipates. He strides in, pulling a small rectangular device from a pocket and holds it to her binders. They click open and fall to the floor, leaving a strange bare feeling. Almost immediately a gloved hand grabs her left wrist and leads her out of the room.

There are bodies littering the outside, many on the ground while others are slumped over barrels and tables and carts. The man that’s dragging her through the dirt streets towards the tree line was able to take out an entire section of a pirate outpost completely by himself. She’s heard of stories of these kind of people. Warriors from a distant planet, people whose entire identity is based around being a soldier. Many are highly acclaimed bounty hunters who strike fear into others with just the mere mention of them. _A Mandalorian._

She looks back up at him as he holds on tight to her wrist. He’s tall, really tall. The worn leather of his glove feels soft on her skin, contradicting the whispers in her head about how ruthless his kind is.

“Who are you,” she gasps out as they rush past the brush and into the dense forest.

She doesn’t receive an answer, but she didn’t necessarily expect one anyways. A glint ahead of them catches her eye. A ship sits in a clearing with its ramp already set down. Panic starts to set in as all she can think of is that she’s being kidnapped again just to be sold off to someone else.

“Wait,” she whispers, eyes widening.

He doesn’t let up his pace.

“Wait!” She drops down, effectively slipping from his grasp right in front of the ship.

She pushes herself back up as the Mandalorian stumbles slightly from the loss of weight behind him.

“What are you doing? We need to leave.”

“I’m not going on that ship until you tell me who you are and where you’re taking me,” she gushes, her body shaking with adrenaline.

The sound of shouts behind her makes her whip around, eyes falling on charging Weequays, blasters drawn.

“We don’t have time for this, we need to leave now,” he argues. Her options start bouncing around in her head before another question comes to mind to settle this.

“Who’s paying you?”

“What?”

“You’re a bounty hunter, right? Then who has the fucking bounty on me?” She stares straight at where she assumes his eyes are and he stares back, dumbfounded like she’s grown three heads.

“Your parents.”

“All you had to say,” she says before turning and hauling ass up the ramp and into the ship, the Mandalorian close behind her.

The ramp shuts behind him before turns to the left and he climbs up the ladder, leaving her by herself. She can hear blaster fire start to hit the side of the ship, scaring her up the ladder to stay by his side. The roar of twin engines rumbles the bars under her fingers as he starts his take off sequence.

As her head pokes over the top of the ladder, she watches for a second as the Mandalorian’s hands fly over his dash, flipping various switches and levers as the ship lifts from the ground. On second thought, maybe right now isn’t the best time to bother him with her presence. She slides back down the ladder and on to the bottom floor of the ship, taking in its set up. It’s organized, she’ll give him that. Crates of supplies are pushed over to the corner, some stacked on top of each other. A wall lined with strapped down weapons sits between the front of the ship and the two ramps across from the ladder.

The ship shakes for a second as it exits the planet’s atmosphere and soon after there’s a slight jolt as it jumps into hyperspace. Her ears are buzzing at the sudden silence after hearing so much. The stillness of space is haunting as she remembers the last time she was on a ship in space. Goosebumps spread across her skin as the pirate’s words echo in her head, the promise of her once-future loud in her ears. Why did those pirates want to take her? Did it have something to do with her stepfather? Was there something she didn’t know about? It’s likely. He and her mother have always been less than transparent about their deals between other merchants, and whatever they did, they pissed off the wrong people.

With a sigh she slides down in between one of the crates and closes her eyes, resting her head against the wall. What a fucked-up day. The quiet of space, although once haunting, is now comforting as it begins to lull her into much needed sleep. The hard metal of the ship isn’t ideal, but at this point she couldn’t care less.

Footsteps make her peel her eyes back open, landing on the man making his way down the ladder again. He doesn’t acknowledge her as he walks over to a case by his weapons. Although he’s a large, imposing figure, his steps have almost no sound to them. He moves like a shadow. Is this how he was able to take out the pirates? Most likely. There’s no other explanation for how she was rescued other than the skill level of the man that saved her.

He opens the case and pulls out a tube and a syringe of something, looking at her before walking over. He crouches down in front of her and pulls off his gloves, revealing tanned skin underneath them. His fingers start to unscrew the cap of the tube before she starts to question.

“What are you doing,” she mumbled.

His helmet tilts up slightly to look at her.

“You’re injured, and I’d rather know definitely that your wounds won’t get infected rather than leave it to chance. That cell you were in was less than kept,” he explained, pushing out a glob of what she now knows is probably bacta onto a finger.

He brings it to the cut on her forehead, the coolness of the gel making her flinch. Almost instantly the throbbing dissipates, her face relaxing. Her eyes fall closed at the sensation and he tapes a pad of gauze to her forehead.

“So uh, what’s your name,” she breathes.

A pause.

“You can call me Mando.” A feeling stutters in her stomach.

It’s a strange feeling, one that she can’t quite decipher. _Mando._

“I know bounty hunters don’t typically pick rescue missions, so why’d you pick mine?” It’s a dumb question, but it’s one that she’s curious about.

“I didn’t realize it was one until I met with your parents.”

“How much are they paying you?”

“Does it matter?” Although the question is biting, his tone isn’t.

“I just know that the pirates were holding me for ransom, so I was just curious if they are paying you more than they would’ve given them.” She opens her eyes again, gazing up at him.

He stares at her for a second before ripping open an alcohol wipe.

“They are paying me more than what is sufficient. Now hold out your arm.”

“Wait,” she yelps, eyes wide.

She pinches her nose and shifts, sticking out an arm to where she doesn’t have to look at the needle. He hesitates for a second, confused but continues anyways. Staring at a spot ahead of her, she can feel him hold on to her arm with one hand and wipe down a spot on her shoulder with the other. His hands are warm from the gloves and calloused from his work. _It’s nice._

There’s a click of the cap coming off the syringe and her heartrate picks up. She tenses in his hold and before she feels the pinch of the needle, she feels his thumb from the hand holding onto her bicep brush in soft stokes. Her heart stutters for a second and then skips at the sharp pain of the needle in her arm. She clamps her eyes shut and holds her breath, focusing on trying to block out the feeling. There’s another wipe of the pad and she opens her eyes, catching him capping the needle before throwing it back into the case that he got it from.

“Don’t like needles?”

He gets up, walking over to another crate that he has near his fresher.

“I’m not particularly fond of them, and the smell of the alcohol makes me hyperventilate even more.”

She readjusts herself into the position that she was in earlier. Her cheeks start to grow warm with blush. She knows that it’s stupid to fear a needle that much, but she can’t help it. She’s been like this for as long as she can remember, always fearing.

He walks back over with what looks like a folded blanket in his arms. He crouches down again and holds it out to her.

“You’re welcome to sleep down here or up in the cockpit in one of the chairs. Up to you. I know you probably haven’t gotten much sleep.”

There it is again, that stupid flutter in her stomach. She stares at the blanket for a second before she looks up at him, looking into the darkness of his t-visor.

“Can you take it up for me,” she asks, her voice almost quiet.

He nods before standing back up, holding out a hand to her. She grasps it and pushes herself up. He turns and walks over to the ladder, swiftly moving up with the blanket tucked under an arm. She follows him up and takes the blanket from him when she reaches the top. She walks behind him as he walks into the cockpit and sits in the pilot’s seat. She chooses a chair diagonal to him and unfolds the blanket, wrapping it around her before sitting down. The chair is surprisingly soft, and big enough to where she can pull her legs up to chest. She rests her head into the side of the seat and takes one last look at the Mandalorian as he stares out into the void of hyperspace before she closes her eyes, succumbing to the sweet embrace of sleep.


	2. Home

Sleep is slow to leave her. Warmth from the blanket that cocoons her makes her feel fuzzy. The low rumbling of the ship traveling through hyperspace acts like a soothing white noise, drowning out the silence that she was so used to from the pirates’ ship. She doesn’t know exactly how long she was gone for, but it was long enough to miss sleep like this.

Her eyes flutter open, the blue hue of space filtering through the transparisteel. Besides the humming, the ship was quiet. Her eyes flit over to the pilot’s seat to find Mando not there. She sits up, looking around the cockpit. Nada.

“Mando?”

“Down here,” he answers, his voice travelling from the level below.

She stands up and unwraps the blanket from herself before making her way down the ladder to the lower deck. The smell of blaster residue and oil drifts to her nose as she climbs down, and she looks over. He’s sitting on a smaller crate with a pulse rifle in his hands, his gloved hand using a cloth to wipe down the barrel and other smaller pieces that are sitting beside him on the crate. Her boots hit the bottom, and her hands let go of the metal rungs as she turns and walks over to him. Nervousness fills her as she walks slowly over to him, questioning what she should do. There’s an empty spot on the crate across from him, so she decides to take a seat there.

Although they aren’t very close, he’s so much taller than her that even sitting down he’s still looming over her. The bulk of his armor making him even more imposing to look at, and the shroud of his helmet just adds to the aura.

He can’t be that much older than her, maybe between five and ten years older, but she can’t be sure without seeing his face. That will be something that will never happen, so it doesn’t really matter. But . . . there’s something that makes her mouth go dry and her hands start to sweat. She’s never met a man that invokes this feeling out of her that she doesn’t even know what he looks like.

The men on Naboo that she’s met are either not at all her type, or they’re attractive and they know it. They know that they can have whoever they want so they act however they like, and she knows that they only want her for her stepfather’s money, or they don’t intend on marrying her and are just looking for someone to bed. There’s been plenty of occasions where her parents take her out to merchant parties where other families bring their sons and daughters to try and find them suitable spouse, and when she thinks that she’s found someone that is promising, they go ahead shatter it.

“Your wounds are looking better. How do you feel,” he questions, setting his blaster down.

The dark gaze of his helmet stares straight at her, making her shift. _Dank farrik, what the fuck is wrong with her?_

“I feel fine, just tired.” Her head feels lightyears better. The bacta worked its magic as she slept and now there’s not even a dull throb from her head, but her ribs still pulse slightly.

Her stomach grumbles. It’s been well over a day since she’s last eaten, and her stomach makes that known. Her face starts to bleed red.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah,” she laughs.

He picks up an already made container of portion bread and holds it out to her. She takes it and starts picking at it, taking a piece and putting it into her mouth. He goes back to cleaning his rifle, the light of the ship glinting off of the metal.

“So how much longer do we have before we reach Naboo,” she asks after a moment of chewing.

“Only about an hour or so. You slept through most of the trip,” Mando answers, his fingers continuing to scrub down the pieces.

She shifts herself to take another glance around the ship to see if she missed anything in her initial look, and her eyes land on the fresher over near the ladder. She’s suddenly conscious of the way that she feels, the grime and dirt of the previous days making themselves known, her scalp itching where dirt has also settled. Oh stars, what she would give right now to take a shower and clean herself off to feel like a real person again.

She turns back around and continues eating her bread. She’ll ask him about it later.

“So, what do you normally do when you’re not out rescuing Naboolian merchant daughters from pirates,” she jokes, popping another piece of break inter her mouth.

There’s a sound that comes out of his modulator that sounds like a breathy laugh, but she can’t be sure. It makes a slight smile twitch on her mouth anyways.

“Like you guessed, I am a bounty hunter.” He lifts his head from his blaster to look at her again, making her heart skip a beat. “Bounty hunters don’t get to enjoy free time.”

Her eyes squint slightly in disbelief at him. There’s no possible way that this man doesn’t have at least one hobby, something that he does to pass the time of hyperspace.

“Nothing? What do you do when you’re in the middle of a jump?”

“I make repairs and take care of anything that needs to be done on the ship, and when I’m not doing that, I sleep,” he explains, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees, leaning closer to her.

Her heart starts to pick up pace, its pulse thundering under her skin as she tries to remain calm on the outside. _She shouldn’t be acting like this, she’s never even seen his_ face, _let alone know his name._

“What about visiting places? Is there a planet out there that you found during a hunt that you want to go back to visit some day? There’s gotta be something that you do or want to do other than work, Mando. That’s exhausting.”

“I guess I just haven’t found one that’s worth visiting yet,” he breathes, still staring at her. Does he . . . does he know what he’s doing to her? Surely he has to have some idea of what he’s doing, or maybe that’s just the way he is, but she can’t be sure. He makes her hyperaware of herself, the way that she’s sitting, how she’s breathing. It’s making her damn near crack.

As she stares into the abyss of his t-visor, she wonders what the man that makes her feel like this looks like. She imagines that he’s a brunet with brown eyes and tanned skin, but maybe he’s blond and blue-eyed. She’ll never know.

Her eyes flit over to the fresher.

“Can I use your shower?” She surprises herself with how low and breathy her voice is, almost panicking that she’s given herself away. Mando sits up and looks over to the door of the fresher.

“Sure. Will you need clothes,” he asks, looking back at her.

Her brain stutters for a second at the thought of him handing her his own clothes for her to wear.

“No, that’s okay, I can just wear these until we get home.”

When she got ready for her day on Naboo she knew it was warm, but the clothing didn’t do much for her time with the pirates. The deep crimson of her short wrap skirt is now littered with dirt splotches and the black halter top is ripped at the neck.

He stands first, once again looming over her. She gets up and follows him over to the end of the ship where the fresher is. Two towels sit folded under the sink and one hangs on a hook between the door and the wall of the tiny room. A small light gleams from the top of where the mirror is across from the shower. She tells him a quiet thank you before he makes his way up the ladder to prepare for when they get out of hyperspace.

She decides to wash her hair when she has her own supplies to do so, but she still wants to wash everything else that she can. The spray of hot water is heavenly on her skin, pulling a deep sigh from her lips as the water trickles down her skin and into the drain. Any remaining stress from the past is instantly washed away with the dirt and grime from the previous day or so, and she’s starting to feel human again. She opens her eyes to study the now green and yellow bruises that still have shades of blue and purple in them. Her fingers float over them and is happy to find that they don’t hurt when there’s moderate pressure, only when she moves too fast or breathes too deep. Hopefully she won’t ever have to worry about pirates again, but she’s going to make sure to have a long talk with her stepfather and mother about the reason that she was taken in the first place.

In the heat of the shower, her mind wonders to the Mandalorian. _Mando_. A brooding man, but he’s been kind to her. From the stories that she’s heard over the years, Mandalorians are a stone hard race of warriors whose only drive is war and battle. There’s not a single detail that she can remember that describes a Mandalorian as gentle as he is, but it adds to her attraction to him. He is soft and at the same time mysterious. Guess it makes sense though, she’s always had an affinity for mysterious men. _Stars, her sister is going to give her so much shit when she gets home._

It wasn’t too long before she stepped out of the shower since she didn’t want to waste the water, Maker knows Mando’s been more than kind enough to her. Her clothes are stiff and abrasive on her skin as she pulls them back on, and it makes her miss home even more. She’s tying her skirt around her waist when there’s a soft knock on the metal door.

“Hey, we’ll be jumping out of hyperspace here in a bit,” he says, his vocoder rumblings from the other side of the door.

“Okay, I’ll be out in a second.”

She finishes the knot on to her right hip and slides the door open, coming face to a beskar chest plate. Her head tilts up to meet his gaze and finds that his is already tilted down to meet hers.

“Was the shower sufficient?”

“Yeah, it was . . . it was nice,” she breathes, eyes never straying from the face of his helmet. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“Of course,” he answers and then motions his head towards the ladder. “C’mon, let’s go up to the deck.”

He turns around and starts climbing up the ladder and she follows, and she’s definitely _not_ looking at his ass on the way up. They both make their way into the cockpit, Mando taking the pilot seat while she makes herself comfortable in the seat that she slept in. He starts flipping switches on his dash and pulls a lever above him, successfully pulling them out of hyperspace and heading towards Naboo. The vibrant green and blue of the planet in front of them is breathtaking, and it damn near makes her start tearing up at the sight of home. A shaky breath leaves her, and she can see Mando’s helmet glint as he looks back slightly at her.

“Stars, I didn’t think I’d ever see home again,” she says, trying her best to not choke up.

Mando doesn’t respond, but it doesn’t matter. They enter Naboo’s atmosphere and the ship soars over the dense forests and rivers, the sun shining brilliantly over the lakes at the base of the mountains. Ahead, there’s a sizeable cluster of buildings, many of them she knows are shops and restaurants owned by her friends and neighbors, while the rest are homes. The town square is bustling with people and children play in the fountain the middle, splashing water on themselves and their parents, running around on the wet stone with their bare feet.

Life has been infinitely better after the fall of the Empire. No longer do families hide away when troopers patrol the streets, and parents can finally breathe easier when their children go outside, knowing that they won’t be taken from them. Liberation has been the best thing that could have happened as an outcome for Naboo. It wasn’t that long ago that terror gripped the planet, the iron fist of the Emperor squeezing the breath from her people. To see how much people have changed for the better from above makes her heart fill with joy, knowing that they can all sleep easy at night. Until now. Just because the Empire is gone, doesn’t mean that danger is gone altogether.

Mando flies the ship north just past the town where a small field lays on the outskirts. As soon as the ship touches down, she’s jumping out of her seat and sliding down the ladder, her heart racing in excitement. The Mandalorian is slower getting out of his seat, almost meandering down the ladder to meet her in front of the ramp. It’s almost as if she’s buzzing, her energy tenfold of what it was before. He finally pushes the button next to the ramp and it slowly drops down on to the lush grass. A gust of warm wind blows past them as they make their way out of the ship, and the bright sun makes her squint as she walks down. The warmth of the sun kisses her skin as she stands at the foot of the ramp, melting away the rest of the cold of space.

She’s pulled out of her trance as the ramp of the ship goes back up and she turns slightly to take in the ship. Yellow stripes are painted on to the side of it, contrasting against the silver of the metal.

“You know, I don’t think I ever asked you what the name of your ship is. What’s it called,” she asks, looking up at Mando. The metal of his helmet is even more glaring in the sun than the ship he flies.

“The Razor Crest.” She looks back from the Crest to find him already looking down at her.

“I like it. Where did my parents say that they wanted to meet you? Their shop or their house?”

“I believe they’ve already predicted when we’ll arrive,” he answers, looking out towards the entrance of town.

She whips around, heart pounding in her ears as her eyes land on her mother, stepfather, and her younger brother and sister. Tears begin to fill her eyes as they both start walking to meet each other, and she throws her arms around her mother first, hugging tight. The two women start to sob into each other’s arms as they stand there embracing each other, and other set of arms wrap around them as the rest of her family join in.

“Oh Maker, I thought we’d lost you forever. I didn’t know if the Mandalorian would be able to get you back,” her stepfather says once they pull away from each other.

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands as she laughs.

“You should have seen the pirates’ village when he was done with them. He absolutely obliterated anyone who was in his way, it was amazing. I hope you’re paying him well,” she answers with a smile.

“Of course, sweetheart,” her mother avowed. “His money is at home; we didn’t want to be carrying a case of money around like a bunch of bucketheads.” They all laugh before she turns around to face Mando.

“Are you okay with that? I know you probably have some other quarries to take care of, being a bounty hunter and all.”

There’s slight tilt of his head.

“That’s fine. I don’t have to deliver them for a new more days yet.”

“Perfect! We have a transport waiting for us.”

They all start making their way back into town where the transport sits, Mando trailing not far behind them, but far enough that she checks behind her occasionally to make sure he’s still there, like he’ll disappear is she doesn’t.

All she can think as she steals glances behind her is that he’s breath taking in the sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! I'm still trying to get the hang of the flow of this since I'm not sure where I want my balance of dialogue, detail, and inner thought to be, so let me know in the comments! Your suggestions and kind words fuel me :)
> 
> P.S. Please let me know if there are any error so I can fix them, thank you.


	3. Settling In

In the end, Mando used one of the guard’s speeders to follow behind their transport, explaining he would rather be able to get back to his ship on his own turns if need be. She won’t lie, her heart sunk a bit knowing he won’t be in the vehicle with her, but that’s okay. It’s his decision and she’ll respect it.

Her parents didn’t ask much of her time with the Mandalorian, only if he was kind to her. She told them he was, and it wasn’t a complete lie. Her sister on the other hand, grilled her in the back of the transport where her mother and stepfather couldn’t hear them. Her sister knew when she started catching feelings for someone, and she was relentless.

“C’mon, what’s he like? Is he handsome? Did he hold you close during the long hours of hyperspace,” she jokes, leaning close with a shit-eating grin.

The older woman starts to flush deeply while her siblings laugh at her.

“You know damn well Mandalorians don’t take off their helmets,” she sputters to try and deflect her teasing.

“Doesn’t answer my question. Is he good in bed—”

“Stars, do you know how to shut up?”

“Something tells me that you’ve developed a mask/helmet kink recently.”

With that, she smacks her sister’s arm, making her hiss at the sharp sting while her brother laughs in front of them. Although her brother and sister are both relentless shits, she’s missed them terribly. Their banter with each other is something that she hopes she’ll never have to yearn for again.

Her body turns to look out the back window in search of Mando, almost expecting him to have disappeared during the ride out to the lake’s edge. But lo and behold, he’s still there, staring straight ahead. Her eyes take him in, studying the relaxed state of him as he rides next to one of her family’s guards. The red and silver of his beskar contrasts starkly against the dense greenery of the forest, the sun glinting off of it as it catches through the canopy of the trees. It draws her eyes in like a magnet.

It’s not a very far trip from the town to her parents’ home, around thirty minutes at most. The house is large, very large for just an older couple, which she never understood but her mother always wanted a house with enough room to house her children plus one extra bedroom. Her stepfather didn’t really understand it, and neither did her siblings, but it didn’t matter, it made her mother happy. It was pointless for her to have a room there considering she lived just down on the other side of the lake. _I want to always have room for you three,_ her mother would say.

They arrived in the late afternoon, the sun brushing the peaks of the mountains. She’s the last to climb out of the transporter, her eyes squinting in the bright light after being in a tinted space. Heavy footsteps walk up next her and the flash of silver out of the corner of her eye gives him away. She turns her head to look up at Mando, giving him a soft smile.

“I hope your ride was okay,” she comments, her head tilting slightly as he scans over the house and then glazes over the lake.

“It was fine,” he answers shortly. Her eyes avert from him as he comes back to meet her gaze, her cheeks starting to heat up.

“That’s good. We should uh, we should go inside,” she quickly stammers out before heading towards the open front door.

The house is decorated with deep red and brown tones, reflecting that of the Palace. Large windows are set into almost every wall of the house to allow view of the lush forest and the lake behind the house, one of her favorite things that her parents decided to do when they built it almost seven years ago. Although this was a place that she once called home, it was never really a place that she could call “her house.”

Her parents divorced when she was young, her father leaving Naboo and going off to some planet in the Core, sending a birthday or Life Day gift when they came around with a note attached, but it’s been a very long time since she last saw him. Her mother worked every day to provide for her and her two siblings, never once giving up on giving them the life they deserved, defying the odds during the reign of the Empire. It wasn’t until her mother met her stepfather that things started to change for the better. He worked for a private merchant company, managing their freight in hyperspace lanes going in and out of the Core Worlds. They met when he was on Naboo for business when he met her mother in the town’s market. They were together a long time before they got married, six years or so. He was everything she wanted for her mom, he was someone that made her happy and made her worries disappear.

But nevertheless, she was happy to be able to move out to her own place on the lake.

Her stepfather had poured himself a glass of liquor before sitting on one their extravagant couches. She knew her brother and sister had already taken their leave in their rooms where they were staying before they left to go back to Theed in a couple days, leaving just her and Mando with her parents.

She looks back at Mando who is standing further back in the hallway, staring straight ahead before meeting her gaze. She holds up a single finger before walking into the kitchen where her mom was washing a few dishes.

“Hey, I know it’s been a long day for you guys, and it’s been a long day for me, and I really just want to go home and relax. I’ll come back over tomorrow evening for dinner before the other two leave to go home,” she says, standing across from her mom.

Her mom looks up, a look contorting her face.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t like the thought of you going home after all that’s happened. And besides, I have your bed all made up for you to stay over until we can figure out what to do in response to what’s happened.”

“Those pirates may be bold to take me in broad daylight, but they aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t try to take me again.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I’m going home.”

“No, you’re going to stay here for the time being,” her stepfather butts in, his voice turning stern. “You are not going home, end of discussion.”

She loves her stepfather, don’t get her wrong, but Stars does he make her want to rip her hair out sometimes. He’s always had a habit of being a bit controlling, even after she moved out.

“I’m not asking for permission. I’m a grown adult, and I’m going home,” she replies calmly before turning for the door, her eyes still on her mother.

“Wait.”

She stops half-turn when her mom speaks, her eyes on the man behind her in the hallway.

“Are you still for hire,” her mom asks, her voice hesitant.

“Yes, I have no other quarries for the time being.”

“If we pay you, will you stay and guard my daughter until we can ensure that she’s safe?” Her eyes widen at what her mother is asking. There’s no way she’s actually asking him to do this, not when she couldn’t even accept her having a male friend crash at their house after a night of partying when they were younger.

“It’s not typically what I’m paid for, but credits are credits,” he answers after a moment of silence.

Her heart starts racing as she looks back at Mando, disbelief spread across her face. She looks back at her mom who’s looking at her stepfather, worry on her face. He sighs, rubbing his hand down his face as he sits forward to look at her mom, and then to her. She can tell he’s not overly pleased about what’s going to happen, but it’s either she goes home and risks being taken again, or go home with someone protecting her.

Her stepfather looks from her to Mando before standing up and walking into a room, disappearing for a moment before walking back out with a brown leather bag in hand, the soft sound of clinking metal coming from it as he walks back towards them. He stops in front of Mando before holding out the bag, looking straight on at him.

“This is your payment from the rescue, and I’ve added this next week’s pay to it as well. If it’s not enough, please come to me and I’ll be sure to add what’s missing to the following payment,” he starts as Mando takes the credits. “I trust that you will look after her.”

“She’ll be in good hands, sir. I’ll make sure no harm comes to her.” Mando nods his head before looking down at her, his head tilted slightly. “Are you ready then?”

Slowly she nods her head before looking back at her parents and waves at them before the two start walking back out the door. An odd feeling starts to take root as she leads them to the lake’s edge, one that she can only describe as anxious. She’s never had a man that she’s just met stay with her, let alone _live_ with her for an undetermined amount of time. It’s a feeling that’s starting to make her second guess arguing with her parents and acting the way she did, but she knows that it’s only a professional arrangement, and nothing is going to amount from her stupid crush. Besides, he’s a _Mandalorian_ for Maker’s sake. There is nothing in this universe that is going to keep him from leaving her when everything’s said and done, it’s what he does, there’s no changing that.

At the lake’s edge, there’s two water speeders hovering over the lake tied to the dock that she left from the last time she came to her parents’ home from her own. As the pair walk down the dock, she looks to her right and smiles as she sees her house sitting in its corner of the lake. Her dock bobs in the water, shining a blinding white as it catches the sun.

“My house is down on that end of the lake, you can see it from here,” she says, lifting her arm to point at the small wooden cottage. Mando follows her arm and nods.

While she’s untying the speeders from the posts, she remembers that the Razor Crest is still sitting outside of town and he has nothing with him. She stops and looks back at him.

“Do you need anything from your ship before we leave? Like a change of clothes or if you want to grab weapons or anything,” she asks.

“That won’t be necessary.” Okay, so he doesn’t ever change clothes, noted.

They both sit on a speeder and she takes off first, rushing across the water to the middle of the lake. The sun is warm on her skin as it shines onto the blue water, the light reflecting back into her eyes. Water sprays up behind her as her speeder flies across the lake with Mando at her side, just slightly behind her.

She can’t help but smile as she takes in the fact that she’s finally home on Naboo, soaring across the lake of the valley that she loves dearly. Her head turns to her right and she finds Mando is now next to her, watching her. Her smile grows wider and she kicks her speeder into a higher gear, sending her even faster. Mando rushes up next to her and she tilts her speeder to make water spray his side. A giggle leaves her lips as he jerks away, but he pulls right in front of her and speeds off, sending a shower of water behind him, and all over her. She gasps as the cold water drenches her, and he pulls back to her side once more.

“You’re lucky that I have to shower again anyways,” she yells over the roar of the speeder.

“I guess I’m doing you a favor then.”

She stares at him unblinking, a half-smile frozen on her face. The stoic Mandalorian just teased her, and then made a joke. Great Maker, Hell’s frozen over. A laugh starts bubbling out of her, and it soon grows stronger, making her throw her head back, face up towards the sun.

“Who knew a Mandalorian could make a joke,” she teases, looking back to him.

“You’d be surprised.”

They make it to her dock within the next minute and this time he helps her tie them to the posts. She walks in front of him up the wooden walkway over the small beach to her back door, small animals scattering as they are disturbed from their long quiet. She flips the panel near the door open and taps in her door code, making the house unlock as the panels on the windows roll up and her door unlocks.

It’s a smaller house, a fraction of the size of the one her parents live in. She was never one for large houses, especially since it was just her; all she needed was a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen to be comfortable. Her house is a much cozier feel as she has worn in, secondhand furniture from her stepfather’s friends were giving away. She’s able to breathe easier as she walks through her own space.

She walks to the right where the guest wing was, a simple bedroom and bathroom with a pocket door. He steps in behind her, looking around the room before looking back to her.

“This is the guest room, where you’ll be staying for the time being. I hope it’s enough.”

“It’s more than enough. Thank you,” he responds, his voice low again, his eyes never once leaving hers.

“Good. My room is on the other side. If you need me and I’m in there, just give me a knock,” she explains, giving a soft smile. “Oh, and your bathroom is right around the corner. I’ve got some shampoos and body washes in there, but if it’s not to your liking, just let me know and I’ll go get some from town.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Alright then. I’m going to go shower, please make yourself at home in the meantime. There should be some food in containers in the conservator in the kitchen, and there’s towels under the sink if you feel like showering as well,” she says and turns to leave the room.

As she turns the corner to walk across the house to her own wing, she looks back to sneak a glance back at Mando but finds that he is already staring back. Her heart picks up pace and she gives him a soft smile before leaving, closing the pocket door behind her.


End file.
